Playoff chances are fading

It is about time to get the calculators out, although you don’t need a machine to figure that the Sharks’ magic number is probably 90.

That’s the number of points that almost guarantees a playoff berth in the Atlantic Division. Last season, 89 would have done it, but the 88 points that Lowell earned didn’t do it.

Things could be different this year as Worcester, Manchester and Springfield are all hovering around .500 and might have some trouble getting to 90. However, if the sixth-place Sharks are to reach that points plateau, they will have to play out of their minds.

They have 48 points in 49 games, a shade below .500. In order to get to 90, Worcester will have to earn 42 points in its last 31 games, a .677 winning percentage — a turnaround that is hard to imagine.

Brennan Evans had perhaps his best scoring chance of the season right after the opening faceoff of the second period. Evans broke in almost alone as part of a 2 on 1 break and snapped a wrist shot on Mike Morrison from the right circle. Morrison made the save.

Evans’s goal-scoring drought has reached 55 games. He has been shut out in 49 games this season and didn’t score in his last six in 2006-07.

Worcester headed south after the game, on its way to Norfolk for a pair of weekend games. The Sharks’ bus stopped at a hotel in Levittown, Pa., along the way. Worcester will play in Norfolk on Friday and Saturday nights, ending a six-game road trip.

The Admirals have the worst record, by far, in the AHL’s East Division, but have played well lately. Norfolk is 6-2-2 in its last 10 games. The two games vs. Worcester will end a six-game homestand for the Admirals.

Kip Brennan was not in the Bridgeport lineup last night as he began serving a 15-game suspension.

Brennan was disciplined for something that happened in a game at Portland on Feb. 9. After Geoff Peters of the Pirates hit Sound Tigers defenseman Pascal Morency with an elbow, Brennan went after Peters and punched the unsuspecting forward in the nose. Peters’ nose was broken by the punch.

It is the second 15-game suspension of Brennan’s AHL career. He was also suspended for 15 games when he played for Chicago in 2004-05. Brennan told Michael Fornabaio of the Connecticut Post:

“I apologize to the organization as well as to my fans and teammates. I like to think of myself as a big part of the organization. I didn’t mean to put my team down at all with my absence.”

Hollywood was in town with the Sharks last night as San Jose hockey advisor Mike Ricci went behind the Worcester bench as a second assistant coach.

Ricci was in several scenes in the excellent hockey movie “Rocket” about the life of Maurice Richard. Ricci is credited with having played the part of Elmer Lach, and those who saw the film say he was in about a half-dozen scenes.

Ricci is supposed to stay with the team through the Norfolk trip.

Recently acquired defenseman J.D. Forrest completes the Beanpot cycle for the Sharks. He played college hockey at Boston College, the first Worcester player to be a product of that school, the reigning Beanpot champion.

Morris is a Northeastern alum, Dan Spang a BU grad and Tom Cavanagh, Tom Walsh and Dennis Packard all played at Harvard.

Cold Sharks, on the scoresheet, include Spang, who has gone 10 games without a point; Craig Valette, who is 0-2-2 in his last 23 games; and Lukas Kaspar, who has gone six games without a point.

The Sharks didn’t have the usual morning skate yesterday. The coaching staff gave them the morning off just to give them a mental break. ... Ashton Rome, Marc Busenburg and Jonathan Tremblay were the Worcester scratches. Morris is the only Shark on the unofficial injured list. ... This was the Sharks’ last regular-season visit here this year. The teams play back-to-back games at the DCU Center in mid-March. The all-time series is tied 2-2-2. Worcester is 1-1-2 down here. ... Bridgeport’s first goal last night was the sixth two-man-down goal scored against the Sharks this season. In contrast, they’ve scored four of them.